Ravioli Stuffed With Fava Beans Ricotta And Mint With Brown Butter Sauce Recipes

RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH FAVA BEANS, RICOTTA, AND MINT WITH BROWN-BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add beans. Cook until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to an ice-water bath; let cool 1 minute. Drain; squeeze beans from skins. Transfer 2 cups of the beans to a food processor. Add cheeses, mint, lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. Refrigerate filling at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).
• Divide dough into 4 pieces. Dust 1 piece of dough with flour (cover remaining pieces with plastic wrap). Set the rollers of a pasta maker to the widest setting; roll dough through. Fold dough into thirds; pass through again, narrow side first. Repeat until smooth, 3 or 4 more times. Run dough through progressively narrower settings, using additional flour as needed, until very thin (at least 5 inches wide). Cut sheet crosswise into manageable pieces.
• Dust 2 rimmed baking sheets with cornmeal; set aside. Place 1 piece of pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface (keep unused pieces covered). Space heaping tablespoons of filling 3 inches apart on lower half of sheet.
• Using a wet pastry brush, moisten pasta around each mound of filling. Fold top half of sheet over filling to meet edge; press around mounds to eliminate air and to seal.
• Cut pasta into 2 1/2- to 3-inch squares using a pizza wheel. Brush away excess flour. Place ravioli on cornmeal-dusted baking sheets. Roll out remaining pasta dough, and repeat. (If serving that day, cover ravioli with plastic wrap, and refrigerate on baking sheets until ready to use. If making ahead, freeze on baking sheets until firm, about 1 hour, and then transfer to an airtight container; freeze until ready to use, up to 1 month.)
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add half the ravioli; gently stir once. Cook at a gentle boil until ravioli are just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a colander using a slotted spoon; drain. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ravioli.
• Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cook butter until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add half the ravioli to skillet; toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to a platter; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ravioli.
• Cook remaining 4 tablespoons butter until lightly browned as above. Add reserved cup beans; cook over low heat until warm, about 20 seconds. Transfer ravioli to serving plates. Spoon beans and butter over ravioli. Sprinkle with cheese; season with salt and pepper.

BASIC RAVIOLI WITH A BUTTER-SAGE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the filling: Add the ricotta, Parmigiano and eggs and sprinkle with salt in a bowl. Adjust seasoning if needed. Put the filling in a pastry bag and reserve.
• For the pasta: Set the pasta roller on the widest setting (#1). Start with half the pasta dough; keep the other half covered until ready to use. Using your hands, flatten the dough as much as you can to facilitate it going through the pasta roller. Run the dough through the roller, twice dusting it in between rolls if it feels sticky. Fold the dough into thirds and turn it 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and run it through the pasta machine 2 to 3 times. Move the roller to the next setting (#2) and run the pasta through. Dust lightly with flour if the dough feels sticky. Continue to run the dough through the machine reducing the opening (or moving the setting to the next larger number) in between every roll. Stop when you get to the correct thinness, this will usually be around number 5 or 6 on the dial, but every machine is different, you will have to be the judge of your own pasta thickness.
• To assemble the ravioli: Lay out the dough on a flat surface. Brush the lower half of the dough (the part that is closest to you) lightly with water. This is the glue that will hold the ravioli together. Use the glue sparingly, if you use too much the pasta will slide and not stick. Pipe 1-inch balls of filling onto the pasta that has been brushed with water, leaving about 2 inches between each ball. Fold the top half of the pasta down over the filling to meet the bottom edge. Using your index fingers, poke around each filling ball to seal the ravioli shut, AND to make sure that there are no air bubbles. Using a fluted round cutter or a fluted pastry wheel or even a drinking glass, cut out each ravioli. Transfer to a sheet tray dusted with semolina or polenta and reserve until ready to use.
• To cook the ravioli and make the sauce: Add the butter to a large saute pan and bring to a medium heat. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and season with salt. Shake the pan to incorporate the butter and stock, and simmer until the stock has reduced a bit and the sauce looks velvety and is the consistency of heavy cream. If the sauce thickens too much, adjust the consistency with chicken stock. Add the sage and season with salt.
• Add the ravioli to the pot of boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully remove the ravioli from the cooking water and put them immediately into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, shaking frequently to be sure that the ravioli don'(TM)t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the ravioli to a serving platter. Mangia Bene!
• Put the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a hole (this is also called a well) in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide (bigger is definitely better here). Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, salt and water.
• Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, salt and water. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over your board and you will have a big mess! Also, don't worry about the lumps. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture that it will not run all over the place when the sides of the well are broken, begin to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands. When the mixture has really come together to a homogeneous mixture, THEN you can start kneading.
• When kneading it is VERY important to put your body weight into it, get on top of the dough to really stretch it and not tear the dough. Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a very smooooooth, supple dough. When done, the dough should look VERY smooth and feel almost velvety. Kneading will usually take from 8 to 10 minutes for an experienced kneader and 10 to 15 for an inexperienced kneader. Put your body weight into it, you need to knead! This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and have fun!
• When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. If using immediately do not refrigerate.
• Roll and cut the pasta into desired shape. How smooth and supple!

RAVIOLI OF SMASHED FAVA BEANS, MINT AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• If the fava beans are very small and soft, you can use them raw. If they are medium to large, blanch them until just tender in unsalted boiling water (remove the skins after blanching if they are slightly tough). Smash or finely chop half the beans and leave the other half whole.
• Put all the beans into a bowl with the chopped mint (added to taste), olive oil and ricotta. Lightly fork this through, adding the Parmesan, lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Stuff the ravioli with the filling and cook them in gently boiling salted water for around 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain carefully.
• Serve drizzled with a little extra olive oil, and scattered with the extra fava beans, some chopped mint, olive oil and some freshly grated or shaved Parmesan.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Rub squash down with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Cut the tops off of each clove of garlic, rub with oil, and wrap in foil. Place on the baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until squash and garlic cloves are soft and browned, about 30 minutes.
• Remove squash and garlic from the oven. Remove the garlic skin and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add squash along with ricotta, grated Parmesan, brown sugar, and salt for filling. Blend into a thick paste. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and set in the refrigerator until cool.
• While squash is roasting, whisk semolina, all-purpose flour, and salt for pasta together in a bowl. Dump onto a counter and push flour into a mound. Dig a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Start folding flour and egg onto each other; continue kneading and folding until it comes together as a dough. Add more flour or oil if it is too wet or dry, respectively. The final product should look smooth, and the dough should bounce back if you press your thumb into it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• If you have a pasta maker, pass the pasta through to make a pasta sheet about the thickness of a dime. If not, get to work with a roller on a lightly floured surface. Make several sheets.
• On one sheet, dollop about 2 tablespoons of squash filling 2 inches apart. Place another sheet over top and press the dough down around each lump of filling. Try to keep it tight, as you don't want a lot of air in the interior. But don't go too close, or you'll have filling trapped between pasta layers and ruin the seal. Use a ravioli stamp to stamp out and seal each ravioli. Set aside.
• In another pan, heat a thin layer of canola oil over medium heat. Working in batches, fry sage leaves until dark green and crispy. Remove to paper towel-lined plate to strain grease. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; simmer, stirring frequently, until browned, fragrant, and foamy, with brown bits in it, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in tarragon, thyme, and salt.
• While sauce is being prepared, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add raviolis and boil until they float, about 5 minutes. Drain and plate.
• Ladle butter sauce over pasta and garnish with fried sage. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Spoon the ricotta into a large fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee filter. Set the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap. Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator at least overnight or up to 24 hours. Discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
• In a wide braising pan or deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and increase the heat to medium. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set in a strainer and cool completely.
• Stir the fresh ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, and sautéed greens together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the egg. Chill thoroughly.
• While the filling is chilling, make the pasta dough and let rest.
• Form and cut the ravioli according to directions on page 190. The ravioli should be cooked immediately or refrigerated up to 4 hours. (The ravioli may also be frozen: Place the sheets of ravioli onto a freezer shelf and freeze until solid to the touch. Carefully transfer the ravioli to resealable plastic bags or airtight plastic containers.)
• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Slip the ravioli into the water a few at a time, stirring gently as you do. Cook until the edges of the pasta are tender but still firm to the bite and they rise to the surface, about 6 minutes after the water returns to a boil.
• While the ravioli are cooking, divide the tomato sauce, olive oil, and basil between two large skillets and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Fish out the ravioli with a wire skimmer or large flat slotted spoon, drain them well over the pasta pot, and slide them into the pans of sauce, dividing them evenly. Simmer, stirring gently with a spoon until the sauce is lightly reduced and the ravioli are coated. Remove the pans from the heat, check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the ravioli into warm bowls or onto a warm platter, sprinkle with the grated cheese, and serve immediately.
• Variation: Butter-Sage Sauce (Conditi all Burro e Salvia)
• Melt one stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter in a large skillet over low heat. (The heat should be low enough to melt the butter slowly, without its separating or turning clear.) Add eight to ten whole sage leaves and remove the skillet from the heat. Ladle out about 1 cup of the ravioli-cooking water before you drain them. Either fish the ravioli out of the pot with a large wire skimmer or drain them gently. Add the ravioli to the skillet. Pour in enough of the cooking liquid to make a sufficient amount of creamy sauce to coat the ravioli generously. Bring to a quick boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.